Point-and-Tap Adventures Still Have Something to Say

Every few years someone declares adventure games dead. Then a title like Hollow Lantern shows up and reminds us the genre just moved to our pockets.

What makes these games work on mobile is the pacing. You tap to look, tap to move, and the game waits for you. There's no reflex barrier, so the story and atmosphere do the heavy lifting.

If you've bounced off old adventure games because of obtuse puzzles, give the modern ones a chance. The good ones hint fairly and never expect you to combine a rubber duck with a doorknob for no reason.

I finished Hollow Lantern in a couple of evenings and still think about its rainy streets. A short, well-told adventure can stick with you longer than a hundred-hour grind.